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Photographing Jewellery



 
 
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  #1  
Old October 7th 07, 06:15 PM posted to rec.crafts.jewelry
[email protected]
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Posts: 2
Default Photographing Jewellery

This is a bit of a market research post. I used to post here a little
a
few years ago, and I've been selling my jewellery in galleries for a
few years. I'm thinking about setting up a service to photograph
jewellery and beads using professional kit in the UK.
The idea would be that you would either drop the jewellery beads off
to me, or more likely, send it in a package. I would photograph the
jewellery, then send it back within days, either with a CD of fully
retouched images (including web size versions, with your watermark
and
website details if wished).

Do you think there is a demand for this service? Would you use a
service like this? How much would you pay for it? Of course I'm
welcome to all opinions, from the UK and further abroad, and I value
all of them.

I'm thinking about purchasing postage from a courier company if I can
get a few customers (to guarantee that the artwork arrives back in
one
piece!), so I'd love to know what you think.

Tell me if I'm just being silly or if you think there could be a
market there! If I can get it right for these small objects with
artists, I'm thinking of trying to market to galleries, then possibly
expanding to photographing larger artwork, perhaps on site.

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  #2  
Old October 16th 07, 04:20 AM posted to rec.crafts.jewelry
kamace
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Posts: 3
Default Photographing Jewellery

On Oct 7, 10:15 am, wrote:
This is a bit of a market research post. I used to post here a little
a
few years ago, and I've been selling my jewellery in galleries for a
few years. I'm thinking about setting up a service to photograph
jewellery and beads using professional kit in the UK.
The idea would be that you would either drop the jewellery beads off
to me, or more likely, send it in a package. I would photograph the
jewellery, then send it back within days, either with a CD of fully
retouched images (including web size versions, with your watermark
and
website details if wished).

Do you think there is a demand for this service? Would you use a
service like this? How much would you pay for it? Of course I'm
welcome to all opinions, from the UK and further abroad, and I value
all of them.

I'm thinking about purchasing postage from a courier company if I can
get a few customers (to guarantee that the artwork arrives back in
one
piece!), so I'd love to know what you think.

Tell me if I'm just being silly or if you think there could be a
market there! If I can get it right for these small objects with
artists, I'm thinking of trying to market to galleries, then possibly
expanding to photographing larger artwork, perhaps on site.


I think that there is a great demand for really top notch jewelry
photography. Most of what is out there is jewelry propped up on
jewelry displayers...BORING! Horrible lighting, difficult to see the
details, really pretty generic...need I go on?

I will say, however, I would have a very hard time shipping my jewelry
to a photographer and kind of being that "hands off" if you will.
And...I am not sure that that is so uncommon...it is my work, and my
vision, and I would certainly want to have a say in how it is being
photographed after spending the incredible time and financial
commitment to the samples. I am sure that you, as a designer, can
relate to that! Maybe if you had a webcam set up and I could watch
the shoot in progress, giving some of my feedback and input in the
shoot and the direction of the shoot, I would certainly feel more
comfortable. I have photographed my own work (check it out at
www.kamacejewelry.com) and have had a wonderful professional
photographer shoot my jewelry, and have been happy with both
outcomes. I have honestly had people ask me who my photographer was
when it was me!

For what to charge? That would depend upon your current body of
photography work, what you charge for studio time, what you charge for
your time, what you charge for the materials. I think that you would
need to set that, and then be willing to negotiate.

I think it is a great idea to have some kind of a pre-paid postage
envelope/box (if that is kind of what you are referencing)...but
insurance could change that pretty quickly. Depending upon the cost
of the samples, insurance is definitely part of the shipping
equation...

Not sure if this helps, just kind of thinking out loud! Good luck!

  #3  
Old October 17th 07, 02:31 AM posted to rec.crafts.jewelry
Jman
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 130
Default Photographing Jewellery

On Oct 7, 11:15 am, wrote:
This is a bit of a market research post. I used to post here a little
a
few years ago, and I've been selling my jewellery in galleries for a
few years. I'm thinking about setting up a service to photograph
jewellery and beads using professional kit in the UK.
The idea would be that you would either drop the jewellery beads off
to me, or more likely, send it in a package. I would photograph the
jewellery, then send it back within days, either with a CD of fully
retouched images (including web size versions, with your watermark
and
website details if wished).

Do you think there is a demand for this service? Would you use a
service like this? How much would you pay for it? Of course I'm
welcome to all opinions, from the UK and further abroad, and I value
all of them.

I'm thinking about purchasing postage from a courier company if I can
get a few customers (to guarantee that the artwork arrives back in
one
piece!), so I'd love to know what you think.

Tell me if I'm just being silly or if you think there could be a
market there! If I can get it right for these small objects with
artists, I'm thinking of trying to market to galleries, then possibly
expanding to photographing larger artwork, perhaps on site.


Hmmm,

Shipping jewelry around is a risky proposition. Too many packages are
being indiscriminately opened and scanning procedures make it easy to
identify the intrinsic value of objects.

If you have the ability, I would say that travelling to and from
clients would put them more at ease and no doubt you would become very
busy in the short term. I've done a bit of web design in the past and
a few of them were import / export companies. Since the one didn't
have a photographer, I offered to do the photography as well as the
website and it went VERY well. The pieces (from Jewelry to furniture)
was very expensive and I certainly didn't want the burden of that
responsibility, so I just shot everything at their Gallery on a day
they were closed. I made out like a bandit photographing the small
stuff as it was just a matter of putting the pieces in a small
homemade light box with smaller props and such... The bigger stuff
was a bit more challenging but a few compact pieces of photography
equipment made the job fairly quick as these units were easy to move
around the gallery.

Anyway, I charged for travel time, use of my equipment (included in my
hourly rate) and processing, printing etc... It worked out extremely
well for me and I highly suggest it to others. The problem is that
you have to travel around a bit and in your case, if you are willing
to do that along with the 'mail order' photography, you might do
exceptionally well.

Just my .02 Cents !

/MM

 




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